Measuring the Accessibility of the Railway Network with the Possibilities of Increasing the Attractiveness of Railway Transport

Abstract

The accessibility of the railway network represents an important factor in the choice of public transport compared to individual transport. Rail transport should represent the basic framework of public transport, while associated forms of transport such as cycling or walking would complement it. Acceptable accessibility and optimization of spatial as well as temporal accessibility is an important decision element in the choice of public transport. The time value plays an important role in analysing the use of public transport. In this article we deal with the specific methods for accessibility evaluation that are based on analysis of municipalities and correct location of railway stations, stops as well as transfer terminals. The analysis took into account isochronous maps of the analysed area of selected cities within the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic. Selected methods are applied on different railway lines according to their purpose, because accessibility of regional and long-haul trains should be evaluated differently. For the given calculation of the individual time availability areas, the number of inhabitants who have access to rail transport was determined, while the average number of inhabitants in one housing unit served as an indicator. The potential of passengers in long-distance trains for use in public transport was set as result to restore and increase the competitiveness of rail transport.